cut by my love, cut 'til i bleed

The gang had made their way to Rhodes. Buck had no idea what it was for, as he had been zoned out during the meeting, but he knew it was better to shut up and follow anyway. He slowed Eden down to a walk as Fox led them through town. He was in between Panther and Dove, like usual.

Buck could see Sibu panting a bit, as well as Kelov. Eden didn't seem to mind the heat. Probably because she was used to it. Rhodes was Aiden's old "home," in a way. His daughter had been born in a house not too far away, and he had met one of his best friends in the bar. He had grown accustomed to the city in the past, but he didn't let anyone know that.

Fox got them up to speed with their plan, and she gave them permission to break. They were to look for more information for a heist. The gang needed money, and they needed lots of it. Their heist in Valentine wasn't enough for their main goal. Their goal was still unclear to Buck, but he was there to help when needed.

Buck urged Eden towards a house on the outskirts of town. If they hadn't moved on, Buck knew who lived there. They were a witch named Elvira. They had been there for him when Fawn, or Maggie, was becoming a rebellious teen, and they helped him accept it. It didn't help that they were letting Fawn drink and shoot a gun.

Buck had a lot of anxiety towards raising a daughter, and Elvira was there to help him through a lot of it. They helped Fawn start bounty hunting, buy a horse, and get a home when Aiden couldn't. They truly were the best aunt in the world.

Once there, he hitched Eden to the post outside and walked towards the door. He felt anxiety well up in his mind and belly, making it seem impossible to just knock on the door. He had known Elvira for years, why was this so hard?

He eventually worked up the courage to knock on the door. He backed away, prepared to see a stranger who was wondering why he was here. He was tempted to ditch it all together, to get back on Eden and run. The rest of the gang had headed towards Saint Denis, so he could, too. He could drink to forget about this moment, maybe even find a guy to lay up with for the night. It was all very, very tempting.

Until the door opened.

And there she was: Elvira, dressed in all black.

Their eyebrows raised at the sight of Buck. "Aiden?" they asked, still not fully believing it was him. They hadn't seen him in years, nor had they heard from him. They assumed he was dead, but they never had the heart to tell Maggie that.

Buck nodded in response to Elvira, "Yes, that's me." He smiled nervously as he began scratching the inside of his arm. It was a nervous tic he had picked up on over the years.

"Well, don't just stand there, come in!" Elvira urged as they backed away from the door, allowing Aiden to enter. He followed after them, and they closed the door behind him.

He sat down on the couch and looked around the house. There was still a picture of Elvira and Crimson hanging up on the wall, a clipping of a newspaper article where Elvira had escaped persecution and fled with an "unknown woman," who had turned into her wife, and some randomized photos from over the years. The place hadn't changed a bit since Aiden had visited almost five years ago.

Elvira sat across from him in a broken recliner. "So, how are you? Where have you been for all these years?" they asked.

Aiden sighed; where could he begin? Was he allowed to tell anything about the gang? "I- I've been holed up with some people," he replied. "We've been plotting some things. I don't know if I'm supposed to tell much." This was a friendly visitation, not a "let me tell you about my gang who has killed people, and how the cops want us."

"Sounds excitin'," Elvira said as they nodded. "Have you seen Maggie lately? She's been awful worried about you." They would be lying if they weren't a little upset about Aiden being silent on everyone for years.